Nearly two weeks after a mine collapsed in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, a second miner has been rescued, while authorities confirmed that the body of a third was discovered.
Efforts continue to locate a fourth miner, who has been trapped since March 25.
Francisco Zapata Nájera, 42, was pulled from the Santa Fe mine in the municipality of Rosario before dawn on Wednesday morning. He was located at a depth of 300 meters surrounded by large quantities of water.
Buzos del Batallón de Atención de Emergencias del Ejército Mexicano rescatan a minero en el municipio de El Rosario, Sin.
A las 1355 horas del 7 de abril de 2026, un equipo de buzos de rescate del Batallón de Atención a Emergencias del Ejército, localizó con vida a Francisco… pic.twitter.com/A8661sEHlr
— @Defensamx (@Defensamx1) April 9, 2026
A team of divers reached Zapata on Tuesday afternoon. He was afforded basic medical attention while rescuers used a pump capable of extracting 9 liters of water per second to clear a path to safety.
The process of extricating him from the mine took nearly half a day. Once reaching the surface, he was swiftly airlifted to a hospital in Mazatlán about 70 kilometers north of the site.
Shortly thereafter, the rescuers found the body of a third miner. The location and condition of the fourth victim remain unknown.
Twenty-five employees were deep inside the mine owned by Industrial Mineral Sinaloa on March 25 when disaster struck. It is believed that a tailings dam, used to store waste generated inside mines, collapsed.
Twenty-one of the miners were close enough to the surface to escape, but José Alejandro Cáustulo — rescued four days later — was believed to be at a depth of 100 meters, while the other three were known to be in the deepest part of the mine.
The accident released large quantities of mud and water over an area 300 meters deep and 3.2 kilometers long, converting tunnels into underground rivers.
The flooded tunnels required the use of divers who faced virtually zero visibility as they raced against time to find the missing miners.
🚨 RESCATAN CON VIDA A MINERO EN SINALOA
Francisco Zapata Nájera fue rescatado con vida de la mina Santa Fe, en #ElRosario, tras permanecer más de 12 días atrapado a 300 metros de profundidad. El operativo, en el que participan fuerzas federales y cuerpos de emergencia, permitió… pic.twitter.com/OM8MYYBzB4— OSCAR MARIO BETETA (@MarioBeteta) April 8, 2026
The 300-man rescue team used an extraction system capable of pumping out 34,000 liters per hour, while also using cement compounds and expanding resin to reinforce the structure to secure an escape route.
Hours before Zapata was located, the Command Post reported technical adjustments to expedite the work, including optimizing the drainage system by installing a second pipeline on the main pump. This modification included a dual-discharge adapter and the installation of a third pipeline to increase drainage capacity.
Federal and state agencies say that the operation will not stop until the fourth worker is located, while officials are maintaining constant communication with the victims’ families.
With reports from La Jornada, El País, Aristegui Noticias and El Economista
